On Thursday morning, an unusual art transport made its way through the streets of Basel to Syngenta, the world's largest pesticide producer. Wearing protective clothing, members of Public Eye handed over to the head of Switzerland, Roman Mazzotta, a package containing a petition signed by almost 38,000 people calling on Syngenta to immediately stop the production and sale of highly hazardous pesticides such as atrazine, glyphosate and paraquat. To put a face to this concern, portraits of Brazilian activists painted with pesticide-contaminated water were placed outside the company's offices. In doing so, they denounce the damage to health and the environment that these toxins cause in their country.

Brazil is the world's largest user of pesticides and therefore Syngenta's most important market. Research by Public Eye has shown that millions of people there are exposed to a pesticide cocktail in their drinking water, the long-term effects of which are far from foreseeable. The revelations, published together with Repórter Brazil, caused a wave of indignation in the country, also because numerous scientists are warning of an increase in cancer, birth defects and other diseases in this context. Parliamentary discussions and hearings were held in several of the agricultural regions particularly affected.

In Switzerland, too, this problem is high on the political agenda, fueled by the current analysis of residues of toxic substances in groundwater, some of which exceed legal limits. These include atrazine, one of Syngenta's main products, which is also found in 85 percent of the samples analyzed in Brazil. The detectability of this particularly hazardous herbicide, which is banned in Switzerland, highlights the urgency of immediately phasing out such substances to protect future generations.

According to estimates, Syngenta generated sales of around $3.9 billion with such substances in 2017 alone. Many of these pesticides are no longer approved in Switzerland and the EU, but continue to be marketed in developing and emerging countries. Since Syngenta is not voluntarily fulfilling its responsibility for people and the environment, the Swiss authorities must finally take measures to put a swift end to this business, Public Eye demands.

The petition was accompanied by an awareness campaign by Kind regards (Werbewoche.ch and Werbewoche Print reported). Together with the Brazilian watercolor painter Renato Palmuti, the "Pesticide Portraits" were created: Portraits of four affected people, painted with pesticide-contaminated water. They are representative of the many activists who are active in Brazil against the massive use of pesticides. 

The customer loyalty platform report includes user engagement strategies to help online retailers increase customer retention and create value from customer loyalty.

Due to low customer loyalty, in the case of e-commerce brands, high customer acquisition costs (CAC or Customer Acquisition Costs) and price awareness of shoppers influence the overall value creation from customer loyalty and profitability. Given low-threshold entry and exit barriers, customers have a myriad of options to choose from, even in niche markets.

Almitra Karnik, Head of Marketing at CleverTap, says: "Cut-throat competition in the e-commerce sector is forcing brands to offer a superior customer experience. Our study shows that e-commerce brands are losing customers faster than they can gain them. Shopping apps lose an average of 86 percent of their customers within the first four weeks of download."

"Without a focus on customer loyalty, brands would continue to try to fill a leaky bucket by recruiting more and more users who don't stay long. For these brands, this affects conversion growth just as much as it does value creation from customer loyalty," she adds.

In addition, the following facts are among the key findings of the report:

• Registration: Only 16 percent of new users complete the sign-up process within a week of app installation. 
• BindingOnly 11.6 percent of new users remain active in the first week. 
• Uninstall: 42 percent of new users uninstall the app in the first 30 days after installing the app. 
• Re-installationOnly 5.21 percent of users reinstall the app in 30 days after uninstalling it.  

Rocket launched the first #RocketPitch in 2018 (Werbewoche.ch reported). "The first pitch was a complete success, as we received many and exciting applications. This developed into exciting work for the Savoy Baur en Ville at Paradeplatz in Zurich, as well as a successful guerrilla campaign for Bestattungsplaner.ch," says Yannick Portmann of Rocket.

Therefore, a new edition of the #Rocketpitch follows. We are looking for special stories, an innovative product, a unique service or an extraordinary company culture, which the agency can communicate. Once again, the pitch winner will receive services in the areas of concept, illustration, graphics, photography, film, web development or software engineering worth CHF 15,000, while the runners-up will receive Rocket services worth CHF 2,500 each. Applications can be submitted until the end of October at the Website be submitted. The orders are to be realized from January 2020.

In addition to the fact that conventional pitches actually go the other way, this campaign gives away agency services of considerable value. This begs the question of what the agency gains from such an action - apart from the PR effect. "A big advantage is, on the one hand, the high fun factor of the competition for the entire Rocket crew. On the other hand, this action fits perfectly into our series of Rocket projects, such as the Rocket Boat or the Ü-65 internship," says Yannick Portmann.

Rocket has already launched extraordinary campaigns in the past. In July 2016, the agency spent two weeks with the Boat on Lake Lucerne on the road, and in early 2017 they were looking for a Retired interns - which they then employed for three months from April 2017.

For the presentation, KSP once again worked with different teams of photographers and stylists to highlight the unique features of the various collections. The women's fashion by Nulu was photographed by Raphaela Pichler, the current cashmere collection was photographed by Chris Tribelhorn.

Both appearances can be seen in brochures, advertisements, at the POS, in the newsletter and on the Coop City website.
 

Felix Partner Design is part of the owner-managed Felix Partner Architecture and Design interdisciplinary group of companies. Even more than in the past, the group focuses on its core competence "total solutions for real estate projects". To this end, architects, designers, brand and communication professionals work closely together under one roof at Felix Partner.

This focus is also reflected in the group's new website: focused on the core competencies and the target groups, diversely designed and supplemented with the most important and up-to-date references. The modular information tools function to a certain extent as a newsroom for all digital communication channels and thrive on the interplay between moving images and networked information.

The new website was realized in-house by Felix Partner's own brand and design specialists - from the content concept to the design and programming. This enabled them to review and improve their tried-and-tested process "In 6 steps to a new digital presence", which they also use for customer projects, and to retain their independence in terms of design and function.

The move is intended to intensify the marketing of Switzerland as a wedding destination, according to a press release issued on Thursday. According to the statement, the cooperation has been in place since July. A new campaign was launched in February 2019 to position Switzerland as a wedding destination.

The Engaged community consists of Swiss wedding planners and professional service providers in the industry. (SDA)

Photo: Switzerland Tourism

CRK's new mandates include PR and communications work for EnergieSchweiz as part of the "renewable heating" program, an image and awareness campaign for Pro Infirmis, and the office of the SmartGridready association.

For these campaigns, CRK wants to set national accents in both PR and advertising. It is therefore strengthening the team with Christian Bircher, who played a key role in the pitches won. The 44-year-old has been working in advertising for years and has both national and international agency experience. Most recently, he was with Ogilvy Hong Kong/Shenzhen, where he worked on the international campaign for Huawei.

In addition, the agency has restructured its executive management. As before, the four-member board includes Patrick Marty as Partner and Gaby Müller as Chief Financial Officer. Sandra Wenger joins as Chief Operations Officer. The 40-year-old Bernese previously worked for a concrete goods manufacturer for the rail industry.

Also new to the management team is Matthias Gerth. The 41-year-old from Winterthur has been a senior consultant at CRK since 2015 and previously worked as a PR consultant at an engineering company. "We are strengthening our management team, which gives us even better control over our processes and enables us to provide more targeted support for our employees," says Stefan Batzli, Chairman of the Board of Directors, explaining this move.

As in previous years, Infel will be responsible for the conception and realization of the digital annual report in close cooperation with CSS.

"The Infel team is very happy about the winning pitch, after all CSS has been one of our agency's valued clients for many years," comments CEO and owner Alfredo Trasatti on the extension of the mandate.

Under the motto "It's about context," topics relating to digitization were placed in an overarching context. Technologies and their sustainability as well as their impact on digital communication were discussed across industries and from the consumer's point of view, and the resulting consequences were evaluated. Business leaders and visionaries from diverse industries, creative minds, researchers, high-tech experts, philosophers, talents and representatives of GenZ and celebrities were featured on the stages. Top international speakers, celebrities and political and business leaders as well as Swiss experts were present.

"It has been an exciting few months of preparation and we have worked hard to ensure that D:Pulse is in line with the current zeitgeist. The program mix of inspiration, knowledge from international markets as well as from the Swiss economy, new business models as well as their influences such as technologies and the consumer perspective was very successful," comment Frank Schneider and Christian Muche. "The entire team is very happy about the great reception for the new event concept and is highly motivated to roll out the event series internationally and to further expand the network."

Sir Martin Sorrell, executive chairman at S4 Capital and founder of media and advertising holding company WPP, talked about his goal to turn the agency world upside down and how advertisers and brands need to regain control in a world of walled gardens and data platforms.

Sven Hannawald, Olympic and World Champion; winner of the Four Hills Tournament, entrepreneur and TV expert at Eurosport, spoke about "Digital Balance", the influence of media and followership.

Philipp Rösler, former German Federal Minister of Economics and Vice Chancellor, discussed international startups, technologies and political frameworks in the Fin:Tech session together with Sebastian Matthes, Deputy Editor-in-Chief and Head of Digital at Handelsblatt Group.

Lilian Bours, Brand and Partnership Director Huawei, Western Europe, showed how a company under fire solves problems with a great story.

Johan Jervoe, Chief Marketing Officer of UBS, explained what "The New Now!" really means for UBS and its clients.

Marisa Tschopp, AI researcher at Zurich-based cybersecurity company Scip and Ambassador "Women in AI" Switzerland, spoke about ethics and trust in AI as well as digital assistants and what increasing automation has to do with our personal responsibility.

Charles Bahr, founder of Project Z, discussed how he assists in all matters related to Generation Z with marketing communications issues as well as personnel (recruiting) and processes.

Tim Alexander, CMO of Deutsche Bank, shared his views on how banks need to reposition themselves and change the way they communicate with customers.

Martin Count, VP Product Management Digital Products at Swisscom, spoke about transformation and new customer experiences.

Susanne Aigner-Drews, Managing Director of Discovery, shared her assessments of the future of linear television.

Alexander Schlaubitz, vice president of marketing at Lufthansa, spoke about empathy and understanding customers.

The Sustainability Influencers Anna, Maja, Emma and Mikkel explained why sustainability is the key to a positive future and therefore for the next generations.

Luca Boller, the first Swiss FIFA eSports full professional, FC Basel 1893, offered insights into why e-sports is more than just pushing buttons for him.

Timothy Hughes, Co-Founder and CEO of Digital Leadership Associates, tackled how to use social networks to build trust and a value-added community.

Michael art, Senior Vice President Commercial Transformation Philip Morris International, explained how one of the world's largest tobacco manufacturers is transforming itself into a science-and-technology provider of smoke-free products.

The native of the Grisons, who grew up in Chur and has roots in the Surselva region, studied Romance languages and literature and journalism in Zurich and Montpellier and graduated with a licentiate. He also has a long experience in audiovisual journalism. From 2004, he worked for RTR for ten years, first as a radio journalist in Chur, where he moderated info magazines, among other things, and then from 2010 as a Federal Parliament correspondent for radio and TV in Bern. In the Bundeshaus, he also moderated the TV debate "Controversies" from the parliamentary session of the Federal Councils.

In November 2014, Claudio Spescha moved to SRF, where he worked as an editor and reporter for "Tagesschau" until 2018. Since November 2018, he has been a member of the domestic and video editorial teams in the newsroom. From September 2019, he will now also be part of the Tagesschau's midday and evening news anchoring team. Claudio Spescha succeeds Maureen Bailo, who is leaving SRF.

Andrea Krüger, Head of Video Editing: "We are very pleased to have Claudio Spescha, an experienced journalist, join us as an anchor. Claudio Spescha has been familiar with the Tagesschau for many years, he knows the high quality standards and, thanks to his live experience as a reporter, he brings with him the best prerequisites for this demanding task."

The ESAF communication that Festland created for EY picks up on this aspect. The key message "Schwung oder Uufschwung?" and the key visual, which shows wood shavings in a time-lapse animation, build a bridge between the sawdust arena and the business floor. 

The presentation ties in with the global "Better Questions" campaign and is part of the strategic "New Reality Movement" platform that Festland and EY have developed for the DACH markets. The sawdust animation, which is based on the color explosion of the New Reality platform, was developed with the 3D studio I/O FX.

The subjects can be seen on posters and e-boards as well as on social media. The New Reality Blog provides an in-depth insight into the partnership between EY and ESAF, where you can find out, among other things, which swings also lead to success in business.

According to the latest study "The digital transformation in B2B purchasing - Report2019" by Sana Commerce, almost a third (29%) of purchasing decision-makers worldwide consider a personalized purchasing experience in B2B online retail that is consistently tailored to their requirements to be important and has a significant influence on which providers they ultimately choose. In the DACH region, the proportion is even higher at 33%.

A key criterion for a personalized shopping experience for almost half of those surveyed worldwide (45%) is the provision of customer-specific prices. Customized offers and shipping options were considered particularly important by 38 percent each. And 36 percent named individual payment options as a key component of a personalized shopping experience. A similar weighting is also evident in the DACH region.

When evaluating offers, for the majority of buyers surveyed worldwide (39%), the quality of service provided by the supplier determines which supplier they ultimately order a particular product from. Unsurprisingly, the more favorable price ranked second with 37 percent, followed by product features and payment conditions with 31 percent each. This is followed by delivery options with 30 percent and product availability with 29 percent.

For buyers in the DACH region, the service offering is also the most important criterion when deciding on a supplier at 38%. It is interesting to note that in the DACH region, delivery conditions (37%) and product availability (36%) are weighted significantly higher - price plays a comparatively minor role at 32%.

The study also identifies certain web store functionalities that support buyers in an efficient ordering process as other important aspects for the selection of suppliers. According to the study, 27% of respondents put a simple and fast checkout and uncomplicated repeat orders at the top of their list of priorities. 26 percent want shorter delivery times and improved shipment tracking. For 24 percent, a larger product selection is important and 23 percent value a better description of product features. This trend is also reflected in the DACH region.

As the most important key performance indicators (KPIs) in the procurement process, 39 percent of professional buyers worldwide named cost savings as their top business objective, closely followed by increasing efficiency and increasing internal customer satisfaction (36 percent each) and reducing administrative costs (30 percent).

The international comparison is interesting here: while cost savings are by far the most important KPI in North America at 49%, this aspect is rated significantly lower in the Benelux countries at just 29%. There, the improvement of internal customer satisfaction ranks first with 35%.

In the DACH region, the weighting is slightly different: here, internal customer satisfaction and reducing administrative costs play the central role with 35% each. Cost savings, on the other hand, only ranked third with 32 percent. And increasing efficiency in the procurement process is at the bottom of the list with only 25 percent.

Michiel Schipperus, CEO and Managing Partner of Sana Commerce, comments: "For B2B suppliers, understanding the needs and expectations of professional buyers is crucial to successfully compete with comparable product offerings. Our recent study shows that companies that offer a personalized shopping experience through their web store are often not only preferred suppliers - they are also valued for effectively supporting their customers in meeting their KPIs. The basis for this is the integration of webshops with internal systems such as the ERP: on the one hand, this ensures that customers are provided with reliable information, for example on stock levels, prices or delivery options, in a personalized and real-time manner. It also makes it easier for customers to make complex purchasing decisions using detailed product descriptions and individual payment terms."

The study by Sana Commerce also makes it clear that B2B companies already order a large proportion of their products online: According to the study, B2B companies currently purchase an average of just under two thirds (64%) of their total goods requirements online and only around one third (36%) via offline channels. 

A closer look at the percentages of online and offline purchases within B2B organizations reveals the following picture: While only six percent of companies internationally currently stated that they order all products exclusively online, 85 percent currently buy at least half and 57 percent even three quarters of their goods via the Internet.

These figures are largely homogeneous across all regions and sectors and underline the importance of the online channel in the B2B procurement process. Nevertheless, the option of purchasing offline - for example via sales staff - is still important in the B2B environment and should not be neglected by companies. 

More than half (57 percent) of those surveyed worldwide said they still prefer to receive quotes by email. 36 percent would like to access offers directly via the web store, while 34 percent prefer a personal telephone call for offers. 
In DACH, as many as 63 percent prefer offers via e-mail, 39 percent via the web store and 30 percent by telephone.
Interestingly, at 22 percent, just under a quarter of buyers worldwide (DACH 24 percent) still want to continue receiving offers by fax.

Overall, 41 percent of respondents worldwide named email as the most important purchasing channel in the B2B procurement process, followed by e-commerce with 28 percent and telephone with 25 percent.

All of this once again underlines the need for suppliers to ensure a consistent, personalized omnichannel shopping experience across all sales channels in order to retain customers in the long term.